


Unveiled

by KingOMalley



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Depression, Gen, I'll add tags as they come up, Panic Attacks, Percy Has A Twin, Stolen Identity, Suicidal Thoughts, Temporary Character Death, no ships thus far, possible self-harm, technically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:34:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24411379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingOMalley/pseuds/KingOMalley
Summary: No one other than Percy really ever understood Eli, or tried to. Elias had always been bad with people, awkward in the worst way, but with his twin it came so easily that it was like he was a different person. Even their mother didn’t really understand how the boy’s mind worked, not that she put any work into understanding it. Sally mostly gave her attention to Percy, whose straightforward and easy-to-read personality was much simpler to work with.Percy was everything that Elias wasn’t--strong-willed, easy to get along with, attention-catching--and it made him feel almost inferior. Elias was just a whisper of his brother--always quiet, hidden, unnoticeable. The boy wasn’t sure what he would do without his brother at his side, making him feel known and loved.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	Unveiled

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so it's been a Long time since I've written anything, but this idea came to be suddenly and I really, really, really wanted to write it. I'm not sure if this is any good, or exactly where it's going, so pls give me your feedback and tell me what you think!!
> 
> KingOMalley

_ Elias and Percy were squeezed onto their single twin bed together, Elias reading while Percy was fidgeting in his attempt to go to sleep. They could hear Gabe snoring away in the living room, having been too drunk to move himself to his and Sally’s shared room before passing out. Their mom had long since gone to bed. She always fell asleep about twenty minutes after returning from the late shift at the candy store.  _

_ It was probably too late for two eight-year-old boys to be awake. The old alarm clock--which refused to make sound after Elias ‘accidentally’ knocked it off the bedside table one too many times--read 11:43 pm, but neither boy cared much about the time. Gabe had blacked out only minutes before, and it was always impossible to fall asleep when he had his game on at max volume. Luckily, once asleep, the drunk stayed dead to the world until he was good and ready to wake up, so one of the boys were able to sneak into the living room and mute the television.  _

_ Elias closed his book silently and slipped off the bed, freezing and wincing slightly when it creaked loudly. When no noises of protest came from the living room, the young boy continued moving, stepping where he knew the floor wouldn’t creak as the bed had. He quietly inched the door open and slipped down the hallway, careful the whole way to remain silent. He was always better at stepping right than Percy was. _

_ When he poked his head into the main room of the apartment, it was clear that Gabe wouldn’t be moving a single muscle until mid-morning at the earliest. Heaving a sigh of relief, Elias took much less calculated steps into the room, grabbing the remote out of the man’s slack hand when he reached the beer and sweat-stained recliner. He quickly muted the television and replaced the remote. Finally they would be able to sleep. _

_ When Elias returned to his and Percy’s shared room, Percy was sitting up in the small bed, frowning at the cover of the book Elias had been reading.  _

_ “What book are you reading tonight?” he asked quietly, not quite whispering, but keeping his tone low so he wouldn’t accidentally wake their mother. _

_ Elias slipped back into the bed next to his brother, grabbing the book when it was offered back to him. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” Elias replied, just as quiet.  _

_ Percy made a face. “Again, Eli? Haven’t you read that book, like, three times already?” _

_ Eli just smiled a bit in response. It was one of his favourite books, even though reading was always a bit difficult. Both twins had dyslexia, but Elias enjoyed reading so much that he didn’t really care about the headache he always got from it. Percy, however, couldn’t stand reading or the effort it took, and so he usually never touched any of Eli’s books. _

_ “So you don’t want me to read tonight?” he answered knowingly. “If you’re sure…” Eli began to lean over to their bedside table to put the book away. _

_ “Wait!” Percy whisper-shouted. “I didn’t say that.” Now Percy was pouting, brow furrowed slightly and lower lip put out a bit. “Please read to me?” _

_ Elias laughed lightly, laying back down on his stomach with the book. The only way his brother could fall asleep quickly, without all the fidgeting and effort, was when Eli read to him. It should’ve been annoying, and probably would’ve been if Eli loved his twin brother any less, but really he only found it endearing. “Yeah, yeah, just lay down and listen. I’m at the part where Hermione sets Snape’s robes on fire…” _

_ Percy eagerly laid down on his side, facing his brother, and closed his eyes. Elias begins to read quietly to his brother, his voice lulling his twin into a deep slumber. It only took a few pages before Percy was completely conked out and snoring softly. The young boy slowly let his voice fade into silence, closing the book and placing it on the nightstand. These times were always Eli’s favourite, when it was just him and his brother, able to be themselves and with each other.  _

_ No one other than Percy really ever understood Eli, or tried to. Elias had always been bad with people, awkward in the worst way, but with his twin it came so easily that it was like he was a different person. Even their mother didn’t really understand how the boy’s mind worked, not that she put any work into understanding it. Sally mostly gave her attention to Percy, whose straightforward and easy-to-read personality was much simpler to work with. _

_ Percy was everything that Elias wasn’t--strong-willed, easy to get along with, attention-catching--and it made him feel almost inferior. Elias was just a whisper of his brother--always quiet, hidden, unnoticeable. The boy wasn’t sure what he would do without his brother at his side, making him feel known and loved. With that knowledge at the front of his mind, Eli went to sleep, curled up next to his beloved brother. _

\----

Elias woke from his sleep slowly, a weight pulling his limbs down and pinning them to the bunk. So it was gonna be one of those days. He rolled onto his side to grab his watch from the nightstand. It read 12:46 pm. The man blew out a long sigh before rolling onto his back to stare at the ceiling. It had been a long time since he’d dreamt of Percy, or at least of Percy before he was--

No, he couldn’t allow himself to dwell on that. Instead, he focused on his leaden limbs, trying to will himself out of bed before someone came to drag him from it themselves. It took some time, but eventually he convinced himself to sit up in the bunk. With that done, it was just a bit easier to convince himself to get out of bed and gather his clothes to shower. 

The raven-haired man wrinkled his nose distastefully at the bright orange t-shirt, but grabbed it nonetheless. He took his time in the shower, revelling in the stinging heat rolling down his shoulders, letting it rouse his mind from the remnants of sleep that were lingering. On his way out of the cabin, Elias let his eyes linger guiltily on the boots stashed in a box under his bunk, but quickly turned away. 

They were the only things that he knew were His, but he couldn’t allow himself to indulge. They weren’t something Percy would ever wear, and so they weren’t something he would ever wear. They were only a reminder of what he would never allow himself to be again. With a hand on the doorknob of the cabin, Elias took a deep breath and became Percy, the persona slipping on like coming home. 

The moment Percy stepped out of Cabin Three, he noticed something was off. There were groups of campers huddled together, whispering and sending furtive glances towards his cabin. Grover ran up to him as soon as he noticed Percy stepping out into the sunlight. 

“Percy, dude, what’s going on?!” the satyr exclaimed, and he looked like he might throw up. 

Percy furrowed his brow in confusion, unsure what his friend was talking about. “I think I should be the one asking that, considering I just woke up,” the man responded, bemused. “Why is everyone gossiping as though I just joined the Hunters?”

Grover frowned and scratched his head. “Well…” the brunet seemed to hesitate for a moment, then grabbed his wrist and started leading him towards the Big House. “I should just show you. I’m not really sure what’s happening myself.” Percy huffed in bewilderment and a bit of annoyance, but jogged a little to catch up to the satyr.

No matter how many questions Percy asked, Grover just shook his head and sighed in exasperation. The raven haired man was in the middle of asking what was going on again when he caught sight of the Big House--or rather, who was arguing on the porch of the Big House. Elias was suddenly jerked from his persona, pulled violently back to himself.

It was Percy, looking frustrated and confused and a little bit angry, but that was impossible. That was  _ impossible.  _ Eli  _ knew  _ it was. So how was it happening right in front of him? Percy was there, arguing with Annabeth and Chiron, though Elias couldn’t hear what about from this distance.

_ “Leave him alone, Gabe! We’re not your punching bags!”  _ The young, naive voice rang loud and painful in Eli’s ears.  _ “You’re just a pathetic, old ma-AH!”  _ He could hear the harsh slap, the crunch of broken glass, the squelch of blood--

Elias fell to his knees, chest heaving with breaths that didn’t reach his lungs. It wasn’t possible.  _ It wasn’t possible. _ The young man was clutching his chest now, breaths coming in gasps that wouldn’t satisfy. He could tell someone was talking to him, maybe trying to get him to calm down, but he couldn’t. His brother had died and here he was, right in front of Elias’ eyes. The grey static in his vision turned black and he lost consciousness, falling into strong arms. 

\----

Eli woke slowly, pulled from unconsciousness by voices. The heaviness in his limbs was different from what he was used to, a lead weight of physical exhaustion rather than a heaviness in his bones, like his body had its own gravity. 

“His name is Elias, and he’s my twin brother! Why is that so hard to understand?!” The voice was strangely familiar, and it took Elias a moment to place it. He woke up fully with a jerk, but the two people arguing didn’t seem to notice. It was  _ his  _ voice he was hearing, except a bit louder than his own, with more youthful rashness lacing his words. 

Eli swallowed thickly. Right. 

“Yeah, well,  _ he  _ has gone by Percy for all the years I’ve known him, and he’s never mentioned having a brother, let alone the name Elias, so what reason do I have to believe you?” Annabeth quipped sharply, her grey eyes dark and stormy. Eli could swear he saw lightning flash in them, as impossible as that was. “You’re obviously not a monster, since you made it past the borders, but you could easily be a god in disguise, trying to trick us into buying into your deception.”

Percy looked ready to scream in frustration at the bull-headed girl. Eli took a moment to study his brother while he was unaware. Percy was just as he’d always imagined he would grow up. Lean muscles, sharp jaw, and sharper eyes, even if he still had youthful naivete clinging to his words and expressions. Clearly he’d had a good childhood away from Eli, untainted by a world of hardship. While Elias didn’t quite understand how it was possible, or why it had happened, he did know that a god had to be responsible. Perhaps one of them had saved Percy just on the precipice of death, taking him in and raising him. Eli truly hoped that was the case.

“Annabeth…” the young man called out hoarsely, and the woman quickly spun to face him, concern plain in her eyes. “Can I please talk to him alone?” The dryness of Eli’s throat made him want water, but talking to his brother was much more important. He could feel Percy’s eyes on him, scanning his features, but Elias couldn’t bring himself to meet the other man’s eyes.

“But, Percy-” the blonde tried to argue, but he shook his head and gave her his best impression of Percy’s pleading expression. It was strange to do outside of the persona he had created, but it came mostly naturally after spending more than ten years as the man. Annabeth just sighed, seeming suddenly tired, before giving Percy a harsh glare. “Fine, but I’ll be right outside the door if you need me.”   
  


“Not listening in?” Eli asks teasingly, Percy’s personality coming to him like it was second nature. He almost couldn’t help it, as though it had become him. 

The blonde woman smiled slightly in acquiescence. “Fine, fine,” she relented, her hands raised in surrender as she left the room. The moment she was gone, it was like all the energy left Eli. He collapsed back and closed his eyes, forgetting for a moment that his brother was even there. While it was always easy to become Percy, it also made Eli tired deep in his bones in a way that was difficult to explain. A cleared throat brought Elias from his thoughts sharply.

The young man’s eyes flew open and met Percy’s. He didn’t--couldn’t--say anything, only attempted to sit up despite his heavy limbs. Percy was there in a second, helping support Eli until he was slumped against the thin infirmary pillows. 

The twins watched each other for several moments, both drinking in the men they had become. And then Percy, seemingly unable to hold it in, blurted, “Eli, why are they calling you Percy? Why are you acting like…” 

Elias started picking at a stray thread in the sheets and avoided meeting his brother’s eyes. “...It’ll sound bad,” he muttered after several moments. 

Percy sat down on the edge of the bed and grabbed his twin’s hands gently, ducking his head slightly to look in the other’s lowered eyes. “Please talk to me, Eli,” he pleaded. “ _ Please.  _ I come back to you, finally, after thirteen years, and-and everyone is acting like you’re  _ me  _ and you had a panic attack the moment you saw me and-” he cuts himself off. “I’m so confused, Eli. Just tell me what’s going on.”

Elias stared into his brother’s eyes for a long moment before sighing and leaning forward to place his head on Percy’s shoulder. The man’s arms came around Eli and for one terrifying moment he thought he might burst into tears. It had been thirteen years since he had even laid eyes on his brother, and the last time he had-

No, he refused to think about it. It would drive him insane. 

“You-you were  _ dead,  _ Percy. You were piled into a plastic bag and taken away and I was  _ alone  _ and Mom-” he had to stop before he really did start crying, and wrapped his own arms around his brother tightly in return. Eli took a moment to collect himself, using Percy’s warmth and strong form to ground himself. “The moment Mom saw me, she called your name. She didn’t ask, didn’t wonder if maybe I had survived. She was so  _ happy  _ that it was me and not you and-”

The tears wouldn’t be stopped now that he was thinking back on that moment. When his mother’s arms wrapped around him and he thought that maybe she did love him. And then she began thanking the gods that it was Percy, her sweet, brave Percy, that had lived. Eli’s voice kept breaking as he began again, but he didn’t care. “So-so I decided that… that I would be you, because you were much better for the world than I ever was. No one would miss me anyway! Not Mom, not Gabe, not our classmates or teachers!!  _ No one!!” _

Elias was sobbing and yelling now, but he really didn’t give a single flying fuck whether Annabeth heard him or not. He’d held his words and feelings in for so, so long, and it was more relieving than he had thought possible to express them. Percy just held him through it all, his own heart breaking along with his brother’s. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love <33


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